Saint Basil the Great

Saint Basil the Great
Icon of St. Basil the Great from the St. Sophia Cathedral of Kiev
Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church; Great Hierarch
Born	329 or 330 Caesarea, Cappadocia,
Died	January 1 or 2, 379 Caesarea, Cappadocia
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodoxy Roman Catholic Church Anglican Communion Lutheranism
Canonized	Pre-Congregation
Feast	January 1 and January 30 (Eastern Orthodox Churches) January 2 (General Roman Calendar; Anglicanism) January 10 (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod; Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) January 15 / January 16 (leap year) (Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church) June 14 (General Roman Calendar from 13th century to 1969; Episcopal Church;
Attributes	vested as bishop, wearing omophorion, holding a Gospel Book or scroll. St. Basil is depicted in icons as thin and ascetic with a long, tapering black beard.
Patronage	Russia, Cappadocia, Hospital administrators, Reformers, Monks, Education, Exorcism, Liturgists

Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (Greek: Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ágios Basíleios o Mégas; 329 or 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was the Greek bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed the heresies of the early Christian church, fighting against both Arianism and the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea. His ability to balance his theological convictions with his political connections made Basil a powerful advocate for the Nicene position.

In addition to his work as a theologian, Basil was known for his care of the poor and underprivileged. Basil established guidelines for monastic life which focus on community life, liturgical prayer, and manual labour. Together with Pachomius, he is remembered as a father of communal monasticism in Eastern Christianity. He is considered a saint by the traditions of both Eastern and Western Christianity.

Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa are collectively referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches have given him, together with Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, the title of Great Hierarch. He is recognised as a Doctor of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church. He is sometimes referred to by the epithet Ouranophantor (Greek: Οὐρανοφάντωρ), "revealer of heavenly mysteries".